


The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

by Shoulder_Devil



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, Kids in Costumes, Trick or Treat 2018, Trick or Treat: Treat, adorable costumes, fearless Georgie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-08 04:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16422212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shoulder_Devil/pseuds/Shoulder_Devil
Summary: Georgie hands out candy on Halloween with the Admiral.





	The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Smithybadger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smithybadger/gifts).



Halloween was always one of Georgie’s favorite nights. She especially loved handing out candy and seeing all the kids in costumes. In the past, she _may_ have gone overboard with her own costumes and developed a reputation among the local children. It’s hard to judge the line between fun scary and upsetting scary when you don't get scared yourself. It didn’t even occur to her to mention to Angela, her makeup artist friend, that her zombie costume was for handing out candy to children and not a party with friends her own age.

Angela did an _amazing_ job on Georgie’s makeup.

Oops. 

This year she decided to dial it back a few notches. This year's look consisted of a black dress, pointed hat, black wig, striped stockings, green face paint, and the Admiral perched on her shoulder. She debated carrying around a broom but decided against juggling the broom in addition to a bowl of candy, a potentially uncooperative cat. Besides, the black dress was already covered in orange and white hair, she might as well showcase the lion's mane it came from. He added much more to the costume than a broom would have and he barely even chewed on her wig. 

The trickle of trick-or-treaters became a steady stream once word got around she was handing out full sized candy bars. More than one group of intrepid children came around for a second pass only to be disappointed when she remembered them. She couldn't fault them for trying, she would have done the same in their place. No one was turned away empty handed, even the repeat customers. Georgie had a bag of smaller treats prepped for this exact scenario or in case her initial chocolate supply ran dry. 

There was only one child that night got two full bars and she _earned_ it. The little girl at her door pointed a karoke microphone at Georgie with a huge grin. She was wearing a What the Ghost? t-shirt and in her other hand she held a cardboard and foil tape EMF detector. To top it off, Georgie’s tiny doppelganger was accompanied by her father who dressed as a classic bed-sheet ghost. Georgie was beside herself with joy. And also literally beside herself in costume. She managed to get a few pictures with the pair (without getting of her green makeup on the white sheet!) and texted them to Melanie. The Admiral even let little Georgie pet him until he was startled away by the next group of children seeking candy.

About an hour after the last trick-or-treater had left there was a heavy knock at her door. She had run out of chocolate bars and her backup candy was nearly gone (she’d started in on it herself more than a half an hour ago) but there was more than enough left for another group even if it was getting late. She adjusted her wig, donned her witch's hat and opened the door. 

At this hour the worst she anticipated was a group of surly teenagers killing time until the parties got into full swing by trying to score some free candy. What she did not expect to see was two very large grown men in coveralls standing still as stones just outside her door.

“And what are you two supposed to be?” Georgie asked suspiciously, holding the bowl of candy against her chest.  

“Breekon and Hope Delivery,” the man on the left said in a thick, cockney accent.

“At your service,” the man on the right finished in an equally thick, cockney accent.

“I hate to judge but, aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating?”

“Package for Jonathan Sims from Miss Orsinov.”

“You’ll see that he gets it?” It wasn't a question. 

“Oh, okay. I see what this is. I know what you are. I’m going to close the door now, and you’re going to leave,” she said firmly.

The one on the right, Hope probably, stepped forward and shoved a box wrapped in brown paper at Georgie before she could get behind the door. She jostled and nearly dropped the candy bowl.

“Miss Orsinov was very insistent the Archivist have this.”

“She says he needs a costume.”

“It’s not Halloween without a costume, miss.”

“Everyone knows that.”

Their voices flowed back and forth between each other making it hard to pin down just which one of them was talking. To anyone else, it would have been unsettling. To Georgie, it was just annoying. 

“He’s not here so you can take your package and sho--”

“We can’t leave until you take it.”

“We can wait all night if we have to.”

“Got nowhere else to be.”

So far the only aggressive action they had taken was to prevent her from closing the door. That could easily change though. Judging from the size of them and what she’d heard it would not go well if they decided to press the issue. She chewed on her lip and looked down to the package Hope gripped in his meaty, slightly off-proportioned hand. A fine, looping cursive, almost like filigree in purple ink addressed the package. To: Jonathan Sims, Head Archivist of the Magnus Institute, London, care of: Georgina Barker.  Her full address was written out below her name.

Georgie nodded to the other one, presumably Breekon. “You open it.”

“Can’t do that, miss.”

“We aren’t allowed to tamper with the post.”

“I’m giving you permission to open it. It’s got my name on it, and I’m not going to pass it along to Jon unless I know what’s inside.” Georgie looked them both straight in the eyes then shifted the candy to rest against her hip. “I can wait all night if I have to, I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

The two of them exchanged glances. Eventually Hope shrugged then Breekon nodded and ripped the paper to reveal a white cardboard box. He paused to look at Georgie.

“Go on then, keep going.” She gestured with her free hand. 

The top slid off to reveal a note sitting atop what looked like a green and white diamond checked clown outfit complete with pompoms and a ruffled Elizabethan style collar made of green lace. The note was written in the same cursive as the address. For all the embellishments in the handwriting, it was easy enough to read from where she was standing.

 

Archivist,

Enjoy the costume. The green matches so nicely with your skin. I have something even prettier picked out for the dance. Happy Halloween!

XOXO,

Nikola

 

At some point the open door piqued the Admiral’s curiosity. He wound his way between Georgie’s legs to sit in front of her grooming the fluff of his neck and pointedly ignoring the visitors.

“So are you taking this?”

"Or are we going to have a problem?"

“Fine,” Georgie sighed. The delivery method was unorthodox but nothing about the package itself seemed harmful. The Admiral seemed unconcerned with the things posing as men outside her door. That was a good sign, or at least as good a sign as she was likely to get. “Give it here then.”

Hope extended the package to Georgie again and this time she accepted. In exchange she handed them each a fun size bag of Maltesers. The look of sheer confusion on their faces made the whole interaction worth it.  “Happy Halloween. Now go away.”

“Enjoy the rest of your evening, miss.”

“Happy Halloween.”

Between the bowl of candy in one hand and box of clown suit in the other, Georgie was out of hands. She watched the retreating delivery men fumble with their treats until they turned the corner. As soon as they were out of sight she kicked the door closed. Both bowl and box ended up on the floor so she could work the locks closed. The Admiral, being a cat, immediately took the opportunity to sit in the box and start play fighting with the tissue paper.

“You’re a cliche, you know that?” She shook her head and laughed, “an adorable, predictable cliche. Get out of there before you shed all over it.”

He batted at the contents again dislodging a previously hidden red foam clown nose. It bounced out of the box and rolled into the living room. The Admiral made chase and caught it in his mouth. When he turned back to Georgie she almost fell over laughing. It looked for all the world as if her big, orange Maine Coon was wearing a goofy clown nose.

She tossed it down the hall and the Admiral went streaking off after it. After a moment of debate, Georgie shot off a text to Jon. She _did_ promise to get the package to him after all. The Admiral bounded up into her lap, once again holding the nose in his mouth.

“Hold still, Admiral,” Georgie said, pulling up the camera app on her phone. “If nothing else, He’ll be happy to see you. Even if the circumstances are a bit... funny.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Clearly Breekon and Hope are dressed up as *something* they are not. If you're in costume, you get candy if you knock on Georgie's door on Halloween 
> 
> Why no, I didn't retroactively decide to play up the Admiral's fluffy, orange mane once I decided on a title. Why do you ask?


End file.
